Garden Of Education

Seeds take root and teach students the value of fresh food and nutrition.

- Sandra Massey Buckley

Oak Grove Upper Elementary School in Hattiesburg has recently experienced a substantial improvement in test scores and behaviors from its 750 fourth- and fifth-grade students.

Since the school launched The Garden Grove, a teaching garden designed to provide its students with hands-on educational opportunities, the students have benefited from the experience in more ways than one. This project has not only translated into improved science, math, and language skills, it has also impacted the students’ understanding of—and habits around—nutrition.

“The mission behind the garden is to provide students the opportunity to see where their food comes from and in an environment that encompasses observation, investigation, and active hands-on learning,” explains Heather Giger, the school’s garden coordinator and AgArt teacher. “It is a living classroom that teaches respect for the environment, responsibility, sustainability, and patience while also fostering creativity and imagination.”

In its initial phase, the garden simply grew five rows of greens.  “We saw how it enhanced our curriculum when students began researching the plants, harvesting, and then composting,” says Giger.

Since then, with the support of the school’s staff, students, parents, PTO, local businesses, and financial grants, the students have gone on to plant cotton, flowers, herbs, peppers, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, eggplants, and berries in the garden. They also raise chickens, rabbits, and a lamb.

“When we saw that the therapeutic advantage of nurturing plants and animals increased sensitivity and awareness of feelings, we decided to expand the school garden so that we could foster those same skills on a much larger scale,” adds Giger.